Re: How many joules --> e.m. waves?

[inet@intellisys.net (brian whatcott)]

At 11:58 PM 4/20/97 EDT, LUDWIK KOWALSKI wrote:

> > We are discharging a capacitor in the LCR circuit. Suppose that 
> > V=10000 volts, C=30 pF (1.5 mJ of energy is available) and that 
> > R=0.1 ohms.

> The immediate reply was:
>
> > > One difficulty ... the initial current is 10E5 amperes which will 
> > > vaporise the wire. ...
>
> Actually, 1.5 mJ would not increase the temperature significantely, unless 
> the mass of the wire were extremly small. The melting would take place if 
> the amplitude corresponding to 10,000 volts were to be sustained by a 
> source of constant power, for example, by a generator described by Bob 
> this morning.
>                                                    Ludwik Kowalski
Which reminds me that I have been known to write that any wire
thickness whatsoever will carry any current whatsoever, if only
the time duration of the current is appropriately controlled.

Regards
brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>
Altus OK